Undergraduate Career Readiness Plan

Connect

• Schedule an appointment with Liberal Arts Career Services to discuss your interests and goals.

• Cultivate relationships with professors and TAs by visiting office hours.

• Learn about and participate in student organizations, research, and volunteerism.

Explore

• Explore potential career interests using the Focus 2 Career Assessment, What Can I Do With This Major?, and My Next Move.

• Attend at least one workshop, event, or career fair to gain insight into various careers and opportunities.

• Make a Handshake account to search for on-campus jobs and internships, and schedule appointments with a career coach and register for events.

• Explore how other Liberal Arts students are gaining experience through our internship site reviews.

Reflect

• Consider scheduling time for a study abroad experience before graduating and look into funding resources to help finance a study abroad opportunity.

• Take a LinkedIn Learning course over the summer to learn or further develop a skill.

• Update your high school resume to a college resume using one of our templates.

 PRO TIP: Start small! Spending 5 minutes on Handshake or a quick Google search of an interesting employer is a great start.

Connect

• Create HookedIn and LinkedIn accounts to begin connecting with the UT community and building your network.

• Continue to cultivate relationships with professors and TAs by visiting office hours.

• Connect with employers by asking questions and introducing yourself to representatives at events and career fairs.

Explore

• Learn more about career paths you are interested in through informational interviews.

• Look for internships in Handshake for the spring semester or summer.

• Gain experience through a part-time job or internship and learn about funding opportunities for internships.

• Practice your interviewing skills to prepare for future interviews, either virtually using Big Interview or by scheduling an appointment with a career coach.

Reflect

• Update your resume to include your first year and summer experiences.

• If you need an internship course credit as a part of your major requirements, browse our internship credit courses.

• Visit the UT Outpost Career Closet to start building your professional clothing collection.

• Consider applying for leadership positions in student organizations to gain valuable experience.

• Meet with a career coach to discuss internship opportunities, work on application materials, or touch base about your career game plan moving forward.

• Consider taking a career course for credit. LA 101M is a 1-hour credit course that you can take at any time during your undergraduate career.

• Work on crafting a cover letter for internship or part-time job applications and have it reviewed by a career coach.

 PRO TIP: Find a friend to be your accountability partner. Spend time together focusing on career prep to help keep each other motivated. You can work on applications, job search, or complete a LinkedIn Learning course together.

Connect

• Connect with and learn from alumni by using HookedIn or LinkedIn.

• Continue to cultivate relationships with professors and TAs by visiting office hours.

Explore

• Browse Handshake to better prepare for required and preferred qualifications of full-time positions in your desired field.

• Attend a career fair or employer event to network with employers and learn about job and internship opportunities they have available for the summer or the   next school year.

• Obtain an internship or part time job that will help you develop transferrable skills and be competitive for jobs upon graduation.

• Use Texas Digital 360, a free resource for UT students, to create a professional website or ePortfolio and earn credentials through the included course.

Reflect

• If you are considering law school or graduate school, schedule an appointment with a law school or graduate school admissions coach.

• Complete the Career Crossroads activity to get a better idea of what you are looking for in an internship or a job.

• Consider taking a career course for credit. LA 101M is a 1-hour credit course that you can take at any time during your undergraduate career.

• Update your resume to reflect your second year and summer experiences.

• Update your existing cover letter to include new experiences and have it reviewed by a career coach.

• Visit the UT Outpost Career Closet to start building your professional clothing collection.

• Schedule an appointment with a career coach to craft strong application materials.

PRO TIP: Schedule time in your calendar to focus on career preparation and specify what you will focus on in that time. Stick to your schedule!

Connect

• Strengthen relationships with professors and TAs by visiting office hours.

• Interact with alumni on HookedIn and LinkedIn who work at companies or in industries of interest.

• Identify people (former/current supervisors, research program leadership, mentors) to serve as references for your job search or letter writers for law or graduate school.

• Reach out to your network (current and former professors/TAs, job or internship supervisors, mentors, UT alumni) to let them know you are looking for a position after graduation.

Explore

• Research companies and types of positions you are interested in using Handshake (and other job search tools).

• Obtain an additional internship for fall, spring, or even the summer after you graduate.

• Attend career fairs and employer events to meet representatives from employers you are interested in to learn more about the organization and full-time job opportunities.

Reflect

• Identify your goals and create a game plan. Full-time job? Graduate school? Post-graduate fellowship/grant program? Travel?

• For full time positions, begin searching for postings at least 3-6 months before you graduate. This will give you time to network, interview, and secure a position. Some industries have hiring timelines that hire a year out. Meet with a career coach to customize your job search plan.

• Consider taking a career course for credit. LA 101M is a 1-hour credit course that you can take at any time during your undergraduate career.

• Take the LinkedIn Master Course to optimize LinkedIn to its fullest.

• Finalize your resume and create various tailored versions for the specific jobs/industries you are applying to.

• Develop a cover letter template and tailor it to each job you apply for.

• Complete the Job Posting Analysis handout to ensure your application materials are highlighting key information from the job posting.

PRO TIP: Have confidence in your skills and experiences. You don’t have to check off every qualification on a job description or have experience in the exact field to be a competitive applicant.

• Meet with a career coach for up to one year after your graduation date

• Access Handshake in perpetuity to search for jobs and connect with peers and employers.

• Stay connected with other alumni and current students through HookedIn. Consider becoming a mentor for current students to help them in their own career journey.

• Share your career success with us at Liberal Arts Career Services!